I must admit, I have never heard this before. It is cute, and if you have children around, I think they’ll enjoy it too!

How nice of the Saudi King to pardon the young woman who had been repeatedly raped by 7 men. Her crime? Being in a car with a man not a member of her family.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has pardoned a female rape victim who had been sentenced to 200 lashes for being alone with a man at the time of the attack who was not related to her, a Saudi newspaper reported Monday.

The case had sparked international outcry. In a rare criticism of its Mideast ally, the White House had expressed its “astonishment” over the woman’s sentence. Canada called it barbaric.

Saudi Justice Minister Abdullah bin Muhammed al-Sheik told al-Jazirah newspaper that the pardon does not mean the king doubted the country’s judges, but instead acted in the “interests of the people.”

“The king always looks into alleviating the suffering of the citizens when he becomes sure that these verdicts will leave psychological effects on the convicted people, though he is convinced and sure that the verdicts were fair,” al-Jazirah quoted al-Sheik as saying.

The victim in the case, known only as the “Girl of Qatif” after her hometown in eastern Saudi Arabia, was in a car with a high school friend in 2006 when they were attacked and raped by seven men.

She initially was sentenced in November 2006 to several months in prison and 90 lashes for being alone in a car with a man with whom she was neither related nor married, a violation of the kingdom’s strict segregation of the sexes.

The woman, who was 19 at the time of the rape, has said she met the man to retrieve a picture of herself from him because she had recently married.

The court more than doubled the sentence last month to 200 lashes and six months prison in response to her appeal.

This is the right outcome in this case, but how many more rape victims are punished and even killed for being raped in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries?

A year after she announced officially she was running for president Hillary Clinton’s face is showing the strain of travel, lack of rest and just the rigors of such a long race.

Maybe she’s just had a hard day in the cold of Iowa and New Hampshire, but look at how this campaign has affected her. She looks every day of her sixty years and then some.

This is not a political comment, but more of a comment on this unending campaign begun so early by John Edwards and Hillary Clinton.

To be fair, if you look around the mouth and chin area it almost looks like a touched-up photograph of the senator. If it isn’t she is completely exhausted by her schedule.

Today will be a busy day making further preparations for Christmas.

I will be baking cookies with the grandkids and they will be wrapping some beautiful ornaments they made as gifts for our family members.

My favorite things every year are the homemade decorations all the children I have had the pleasure to care for have managed to complete and take home with great pride.

It is so wonderful to hear from the parents of those who will now be graduating from high school or college and hear them say..”Gee, Sue, I went in the attic to get the decorations and guess what I found.” What wonderful memories not only for them but for me.

You all have a wonderful beginning of the week before Christmas. I know I will..even as I clean up that sticky sugar from my kitchen floor!

By the way, if you would like a few tips on Christmas Cookie making, check out this post at Musing Minds. A very simple Royal Icing recipe awaits. (Looks yummy too)

It’s not the Christmas season without Bing Crosby. Enjoy him and David Bowie singing “Peace on Earth” and “Little Drummer Boy” in this duet.